Take Me Somewhere, Stars Are Still Asleep
by MedliSage
Summary: "Dammit," Neku said as he nearly fell off his bed, having been startled so badly he had felt his heart rise up into his throat. He then gave small sigh, readjusting himself back into a comfortable position, his back against the wall. "Dammit, Josh. Can't you show up like a normal person once in a while, with a knock? Instead of just – just teleporting in here?"


_"Dammit,"_ Neku said as he nearly fell off his bed, having been startled so badly he had felt his heart rise up into his throat. He then gave small sigh, readjusting himself back into a comfortable position, his back against the wall. "Dammit, Josh. Can't you show up like a normal person once in a while, with a knock? Instead of just – just _teleporting_ in here?"

The lack of any kind of sarcastic retort left Neku more unsettled than Joshua's sudden appearance. Though truthfully, the sudden appearance wasn't unsettling at all – no, it was comforting. It was a surprise, however, because Neku had been under the impression that he wouldn't be seeing Joshua for at least a week, probably more – it was finally time for the next Reaper's Game, and the UG needed some serious work since the last one. As such, Joshua had been busy, and it seemed whenever he could find a bit to get away from it Neku was at school or had prior engagements with his other friends – which he had said Joshua was more than welcome to, but considering the fact that it took him almost four months to meet with Neku since the end of the long Game, Neku wasn't quite expecting him to be comfortable enough to waltz into their hangouts anytime soon.

The thought of Joshua being uncomfortable in any situation isn't something that would cross just anyone's mind; after all, when was Joshua _not_ cool, composed, and always with that annoying smirk on his face? But he wasn't always like that, in fact it seemed to Neku lately that he was more and more not that, and his mind flashed back to about a month ago when he at WildKat and he had finally convinced Joshua to show up, and it had somehow ended up in him holding Joshua that close to him, feeling his body shake with such fragility and humanity – it was something Neku took with an almost kind of pride, that he was able to not only see but touch and talk to Joshua in such a state.

But of course Neku didn't need Joshua to be trembling with watering eyes to realize that something was up. In fact, really, he never needed that – but it become more and more apparent to him as of late, of the little oddities and changes in demeanor that told him so much about how the other was feeling, and now that he had picked up on them they were so blindingly obvious that it made Joshua almost seem fragile all the time, in a way – in the same way that Neku felt fragile around him, because he knew if he ever tried to lie to Joshua to mask his feelings it would all come crumbling down within seconds.

So when Joshua didn't give him any kind of witty retort, Neku quickly took the edge out of his voice – the edge that to most people seemed to be a natural part of his tone. "What's up?"

"I have some time," Joshua replied simply, lightly slipping out of his shoes and sitting himself unabashedly on the other side of Neku's bed.

"It's almost one in the morning. Shouldn't you be, like, sleeping?"

There was a moment before Joshua said anything back, instead turning his head to face Neku. "Is my presence unwelcome?"

Neku broke the eye contact, hastily looking down and aimlessly adjusting the collar to his pajamas. "Of course not," he replied in a half-mumble. "You just... I dunno," he continued, eyes moving back up to look over at Joshua, noting his posture that seemed lazier than usual and how his eyes seemed rather unfocused, which was so strikingly strange for him. "You seemed tired. You should probably be using this time to rest."

This time Joshua was the one who unlinked their gazes, moving his eyes to stare almost blankly out the window. After a moment he said, "It's been six days since we last saw each other."

An accurate observation, but Neku knew instantly what he was really saying with that – it had been the longest stretch they'd gone without seeing each other since they reunited at WildKat. Though Neku knew he considered Joshua a friend, but only a friend but the only one he ever felt truly understood him... but Neku never felt this strange hole in his heart when he went this long without seeing any of his other friends.

"I guess it has," he replied as if it was something he was only noting now that Joshua had brought it to his attention, and Neku knew deep down that Joshua knew that Neku had realized this, too – just like how he knew what Joshua actually meant a moment ago.

A silence passed, during which Joshua leaned back lazily on his hands. "I am rather tired," he said quietly and a bit slowly, his voice void of all its usual flippancy.

It only took a second for Neku's heart to start racing. He knew exactly, somehow, what Joshua meant by that, why he was here. His heart may have started to pound, but it wasn't quite out of nervousness – because in a way it was like this had happened a hundred times before, a lot like it seemed that he had known Joshua his whole existence and that their relationship was something fundamental about Neku's life. Nevertheless, he felt an accompanying heat flush to his face as he gave his inevitable response, even if it wasn't verbal. He leaned forward a bit, taking one of Joshua's small wrists his in hand – oh his skin was so _soft, _it wasn't often that Neku got to touch him but when he did it was like electricity and heat jolting through his body from the point of contact, and it was only amplified tenfold now by how long they had been apart – and pulled him over to the spot next to him on the bed, shifting the covers with his free hand so that Joshua could lay down and Neku could subsequently pull the blanket over him. "Get some sleep," he said, barely audible.

Though the blanket was pulled up almost to his chin, it the pout on Joshua's face as obvious as he wordlessly tugged on the hem of Neku's shirt.

With a small sigh of false exasperation, Neku laid himself beside the other, pulling the sheet back over them and almost past their heads – as if they were almost in a whole little world of their own.

"You could have just said you were lonely," Neku said quietly.

"And so could you," Joshua instantly replied, a small smile curling onto his face. "Now let me sleep," he finished, eyes already shut.

"Wake me up if you – for whatever," Neku mumbled.

"You too, dear."

"Don't call me that."

Joshua giggled softly. "You like it."

"Go to sleep."

Joshua scooted a bit closer, their chests touching and legs half-overlapping. "Good night, Neku."

And Neku gently placed a hand on Joshua's waist. "Night, Josh."

* * *

its a scientific fact that writing pointless joshneku fluff at midnight will make you feel better, until you realize you write horribly and then you just feel worse (also I didn't proofread it so im sorry for mistakes)


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